THE MOST CLASSIC moment from the opening of the 30th Olympiad, London’s third hosting duty, a singular honor.
It was a glorious opening, one that exceeded the last in China. Slow start, but the music and the evolution of Great Britain was something to which I related. But, oh, those fireworks! Then there was Paul McCartney getting choked up as he led the finale. Marvelous night.
Many people cannot appreciate what it takes to direct volunteers in such a massive theatrical stadium event, which also represents your country.
But now it’s about the athletes.
I don’t agree that it exceed Beijing’s opening ceremony. The sheer spectacle of the 2008 Opening Ceremonies is seared in my mind unlike any other Opening Ceremony. BUT what London did was not try to exceed, they did their own thing and did it well. I think it was the president of the London Olympic Committee that said that the Beijing Opening Ceremonies “liberated them”. They said Beijing set the bar crazy high so London didn’t even try. Which was good!
China had different motivations. It was their first Olympics. All the associate “things” around China. They wanted to make a grand statement and did it spectacularly. Great Britain? They established. Comfortable. Veterans. No need for grand statements. Just do their “thing”.
While I can appreciate the insane amount of work, sweat and tears that went into the opening show, and ESPECIALLY loved that the “family” was Black and White (I can hear wingnut heads exploding) for me the best was when the teams came in. The sheer exuberance and joy overflowing and bursting out of these young folks…the delirious happiness and fun…that was what it’s all about.
Agreed. LOVED watching the joy of the athletes.
Husband (who is half from the Caribbeans) has family in London that we visited 7yrs ago. The city has a fantastic vibe and is quite unique. What we loved particularly was seeing so many mixed race couples and kids (blacks with Whites with Asians), at every level of society, middle class and working class. My daughters LOVED it, none of the stares or stupid comments that we get over here, no one even thought that our family was something out of the ordinary. If the tea party revolution ever occurs in the US, we might relocate.
The Parade of Nations is always the greatest. I’ve never been to London, but I’ve heard some of the same that you mentioned Isis. Many mixed race couples in all levels of society. All of my overseas travel as been in China and Japan. When I used to work for HP, my family and I spent back to back summers in Tokyo, Japan and Guangzhou, China. It was an tremendous experience for me, my wife, and children. It was entertaining being looked at as an American pro athlete in both cities due to my size (6′ 4″, 255 lbs) by children. Even though I told them I wasn’t, they weren’t having it. LOL. I have some wonderful photos.
The thing that you quickly realize when abroad is that regular folks are well, regular. Never once did I feel unwelcome in Tokyo and Guangzhou. The regular folks talked about family, children, good places to eat, etc. I remember one gentleman in Guangzhou tell me flat out that “Americans think we plotting against them. I’m just trying to plan a surprise birthday party for my wife!”. The way he said, in broken English since I spoke in bad Chinese, had us cracking up laughing. This is not to say that there aren’t very real issues between and in both of our countries but it just says that on average, we’re the same.
Loved your post. I take exception to one part though…”seeing so many mixed race couples and kids”….there is ONE race, the HUMAN race. We here in the Newnited States just seem to be ignorant of that fact.
The queen was a good sport,loved the Corgis, the management of the sheer number of people involved was awesome, the production was so English,particulary how they dress and depict children.
I agee with others here the teams coming in is just so wonderful. All those young faces full of eagerness. I makes you hopeful for the world for a change.You see how alike the world youth is in many ways and then contrast the mosaic of differences in cultural dress and expression. It always makes me wonder why that spirit can’t translate to world leaders.
Here’s what you didn’t see if you watched the Openling Ceremony via NBC:
http://deadspin.com/5929778/heres-the-opening-ceremony-tribute-to-terrorism-victims-nbc-doesnt-want-you-to-see
Thanks, Joyce.
They probably were afraid that the ADD american viewer would click away.
Thanks, Joyce for your critique of the NBC coverage of the Open Ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics.
I was tuly mifed by NBC’s coverage and have been for many years now. I wanted to throw something at the TV last night when Meredith Viera, Matt Lauer and Bob Costas would not STFU during the ceremonies. I truly loathe NBC’s coverage of the Olympics and have done so for many years now. And, many others felt the same.
http://tinyurl.com/bn35mls
I have travelled to the UK on business and on vacation at least a half dozen times in my lifetime and have watched British TV coverage of Wimbledon and the sports announcers know how to persent coverage: they are mostly silent during play and only interrupt a game when something is actually necessary. Not so for American TV coverage of sports events like Tennis and the Olympics.
.
And, this goes to the heart of what Joyce has said here. From British friends we learned that Boyle’s presentation which from what we saw here was fantastic contained voice overs that we in the US missed out on because of the constant yapping of Meredith Viera, Matt Lauer and Bob Costas.
Why didn’t NBC just let the Danny Boyle presentation play out for the Amerian audience without the constant yapping and incredibly annoying talk overs and commericals.
I have been annoyed at NBCs and Bob Costas’ coverage of these Olympics since 1996 when as a fan of the women’s soccer team, NBC screwed up coverage of this important sports event (these women played brilliantly and won the gold medal) and NBC never broadcast these games. And, Costas made some incredibly moronic comments about it all.
And, NBC scresed this up once again. There are five NBC stations which are broadcasting women’s and men’s soccer (the American men’s team didn’t qualify for the Olympics but the American women are ranked number 1 and have been at the top for at least 15 years). The American women made their debut on Wednesday and their game and the subsequent game wasn’t broadcast on a major NBC station (NBC or MSNBC) but on some obscure NBC channel which a lot of people don’t recieve! But, MCNBC roadcast Great Bran and other women’s teams except the American women’s team which is in competition to win their 3rd Gold medal. This is just incredibly annoying and STUPID!
And, your post Joyce just added to my disgust with NBC.Why didn’t we see this part of the program which dealt ithe the UK’s own 9/11. Until you posted that, I had no idea that that was part of Boyle’s presentation.
What I saw of Boyle’s show was terrific. I cannot imagine us doing such an imaginative and subsantive and poignant Olympic show as Boyle did. I remember the 1996 Atlanta Olympic show and it was Hollywoodish but was not impactful or impressive as what we saw of London 2012.
I can only iimagine what it would have meant to us if we had seen it all uncut and without the irritating cacaphony of Meredity Viera, Matt Lauer and Bob Costas.
NBC SUCKS!
And, NBC scresed this up once again. There are five NBC stations which are broadcasting women’s and men’s soccer (the American men’s team didn’t qualify for the Olympics but the American women are ranked number 1 and have been at the top for at least 15 years). The American women made their debut on Wednesday and their game and the subsequent game wasn’t broadcast on a major NBC station (NBC or MSNBC) but on some obscure NBC channel which a lot of people don’t recieve! But, MCNBC roadcast Great Bran and other women’s teams except the American women’s team which is in competition to win their 3rd Gold medal. This is just incredibly annoying and STUPID!
Here is what I meant to post:
NBC screwed this up once again. There are five NBC stations which are broadcasting the Olympic games. Soccer is being broadcast on MSNBC and on some obscure NBC station. American women have been on the top of the soccer game for close to 2 decades now and are on the verge of winning their fourth gold medal since 1996. Whereas the American men’s soccer team didn’t qualify for these 2012 games.
To date, MSNBC have broadcast women’s soccer games but none of them have been the American women who are the number 1 team but the American women have been relegted to some obscure NBC station which few people receive.
This is just incredibly annoying and STUPID!
I am holding out hope that the Amerian women’s soccer team if and when they are in the finals, NBC will broadcast that game on NBC prime time or even on MSNBC prime time instead of on one of their obscure channels.
When it comes to sports, I have been a fan of minimalist commentary versus the running stream of consciousness run-off-at-the-mouth approach. The latter seems to plague U.S. commentators especially.
They must get paid by the word versus by the quality of the content. Well placed and well thought out comments relevant to what is happening in the moment is far more effective than the endless drivel from Lauer/Viera/Costas. JMHO…
Considering the OIC didn’t want to mention the slaughter at Munich, perhaps it was an editorial decision not to mention Great Britain’s 7/7. The OIC set precedence by what they did so no one should be surprised about NBC’s choice.
Well, I wasn’t surprised by NBC’s choice to not broadcast the entire Danny Boyle presentation but I never thought NBC was dominated by the IOC decisions which imho have many times in the past been reactinoary and demagogic.
There should have been a moment of silence for those slaughtered 40 years ago. I don’t see how the IOC cronies could not let that happen. But they have made many assinine decisions over the years like the recent one where they foolishly contended the women ski jumpers should not be included in the Winter Olympics and they stubbornly stuck to their position for years until recently. Now, women ski jumpers will get a chance to strut their stuff in Russia in 2014 but not before lots of crap from the IOC.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/04/06/135175144/ioc-adds-womens-ski-jump-to-2014-winter-games‘
If the BBC seem to not flinch before the IOC why should NBC?
Well, for one, the BBC didn’t contract with the OIC.
Who knows.. I’m just not as outraged considering there was no nod to Munich, though one was made outside the ceremony, which Costas mentioned. Seems to fit a pattern, though I’m not excusing either.
Female athletes have been fighting for equality for decades. It’s nothing new, as you know.
I’m lovin’ the games!
I’m lovin the games too! Look forward to it every two years. Hell, I even love dressage (even the Romney’s and Jon Stewart’s making fun of the dancing horses can’t make me stop enjoying that event) but mostly the steeplechase which will be run later this week. Looking forward to that. And, women’s soccer of course. Sorry, still pissed about that.
Hey, no need to be sorry!
I understand it completely, believe me.
I used to ride, though it was western, but I love dressage. I hope Romney’s horse wins.